PSRM NOMINATES ION CEBAN AS CANDIDATE FOR CHISINAU MAYOR

The opposition parliamentary Party of Socialists has nominated its candidate for Chisinau Mayor at the snap mayoral election scheduled for May 20. The nominee is the PSRM faction chairman in the Chisinau Municipal Council, Presidential Press Secretary Ion Ceban, as per the decision taken by the PSRM Council on Sunday.

The party’s press release said that Ceban was selected from among 4 candidacies who were discussed at the Council meeting. Ceban’s candidacy was supported by practically the entire party leadership and by President Igor Dodon.

“We are convinced that Ion Ceban is able to restore a due order in the capital city and to launch an efficient up-to-date management of Chisinau”, stated MP Zinaida Greceanii, Chairperson of the Party of Socialists.

Ion Ceban thanked the party leadership for their confidence and said it is a great honor for him to stand for the Chisinau mayoral post.

“The Socialist faction, which I have the honor to head, has done a lot of positive for the city last few years in the Municipal Council, even though we have been in the opposition. And the fact that Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca has tendered resignation is the result inter alia of the Socialists’ activities in the Council and the city. We keep working, and we will do yet more after the elections. For this, we have a work program and concrete decisions, a strong and experienced team and citizens’ considerable support”, Ceban stated in the meeting.

In his words, the general situation in the city has been remaining very bad over last several years. It needs to be changed, and the PSRM team is working hard in this direction.

Ion Ceban was born in Chisinau on July 30, 1980. He graduated from Moldova State University Faculty of Mathematics, and recently – from the Russian Presidential Academy of State Service, having received a diploma in “State and Municipal Governance”. Ceban was Deputy Minister of Education and Youth Affairs. In 2010-2015 he was a deputy of the Moldovan Parliament. In 2012, he was elected PSRM Ideology Secretary. Since 2015 he has been Chairman of the PSRM faction in the Chisinau Municipal Council, and since early 2017 – Presidential Press Secretary. Ion Ceban is married and has two children.

As was already reported by Infotag, on May 20 the early mayoral elections will be held in the country’s two largest cities of Chisinau and Balti. The mayors will be elected only for one year – until the next ordinary local elections to be held in summer 2019. Until now, three candidates have been nominated for Chisinau Mayor’s post – Andrei Nastase, Chairman of the political party called Platform “Demnitate si Adevar” [DA, “Dignity and Justice”], Liberal Party Deputy Chairman Valeriu Munteanu and Ion Ceban. It is believed that the ruling Democratic Party will put its stake on incumbent Chisinau Acting Mayor Silvia Radu, who may run as an independent.

The local election campaign will be started officially on March 21 – 60 days before the election day. So far, not a single candidacy has been nominated, for the Balti Mayor post.